Cooperation

The Ministry of Information and Communication Infrastructure (MoICI) of the Republic of The Gambia and the Institute for Information Industry (III) of the Republic of China (Taiwan) yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) about information, communication and technology (ICT) development between the two.

Speaking at the signing ceremony held at the MoICI along MDI Road in Kanifing, Taiwanese Ambassador Samuel Chen said the MoU, which will take effect immediately, is intended to reflect the present understanding between The Gambia and Taiwan and also promote the future cooperation about the ICT industry between the two countries.

The bedrock of relations between Turkey and Gambia was formed with military training provided by Turkish military officers in the 1990s, and recent agreements on logistics and new military training now pave the way for the two countries to cooperate in peacekeeping operations.

A large number of Gambian military officers have benefited from military training provided in both Turkey and in Gambia. The military training cooperation agreement that was signed on March 23, 1990 was updated last year with new provisions.

“This training has helped us quite a bit since we undertake a lot of peacekeeping operations in our region and under the UN,” said Gambian Ambassador to Turkey Gibril Joof, adding that Gambia is one of the shining examples in peacekeeping operations thanks to the training provided by Turkey. The envoy also underlined that the training, which was first conducted only with military officers, is now done at the commando level. As of now, Gambia has been involved in eight peacekeeping operations, some of which are regional while others are international missions.

The Gambia’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Susan Waffa-Ogoo and Senegal’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr. Mankeur Ndiaye, on Tuesday renew commitments of the two Governments to put everything in place to ensure the construction of the bridge across River Gambia.

They believe that bridging the Yelli Tenda-Bamba Tenda crossing point in Farafenni will facilitate the movement of persons and goods, increase the flow of bilateral trade, and contribute immensely to the sub-regional integration.